2016 Safety Committee Conference

OPENING KEYNOTE:
Differences are Not Difficulties
Today’s world is different. This can present your organization with a challenge or a chore – the choice is yours. What can we do to encourage intergenerational understanding? Have we joined the “I” generation? Are we isolated, insulated, independent, individualized and sometimes even indifferent? Do we pre-judge and get set in our ways? What about the new generations? What motivates younger people to work with us? Is the new era difficult – or just diverse in ways of thinking and doing? Working together works when we work at it! Diversity builds the strength we need. Understanding differences can lead to enhanced decision-making and informed processes – this is especially important when safety is involved. Celebrating differences will bring excitement and energy to the work we do.
Speaker: Brenda Robinson – Robcan Group, Alberta

SESSION 1A
WorkSafeBC – What’s New for Committees in 2017
An effective joint health and safety committee is a key element for ensuring a safe and healthy workplace. Proposed changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation are intended to improve committee effectiveness. In this session you will learn about the new Regulations which are expected to come into effect in 2017, including:
     • Annual evaluation of joint committee effectiveness
     • Minimum Mandatory training for new joint committee members
     • Worker and employer representative participation in incident investigations.
Speaker: Linda Love – WorkSafe BC

SESSION 1B:
Creating a Positive Productive Workplace
The old days of “nose to the grindstone-shoulder to the wheel” are gone. People go to work today with a changed expectation and a changed perception. All of the research says we are working harder and we will work longer than the previous two generations. Indeed the 25 year job ending with retirement and a gold watch are also a thing of the past. Given the changing situation, people are looking at work to provide more job satisfaction, enjoyment, interaction, challenge and the opportunity to learn and grow. Indeed, people no longer talk about the “job” they want. They talk about the work they want to accomplish and the things they want to learn. They talk about contributions they make and the roles they play in their workplace. Today, we have workers who actively choose the places, times to work and the people to work with. Where people once talked about getting a job, keeping a job, having to work, they now want to talk about being part of a team, sharing responsibilities and accomplishing goals or achieving success. How do we build workplaces to meet these changing expectations?
Speaker: Brenda Robinson – Robcan Group, Alberta

SESSION 1C:
Don’t Let Safety Bully You
Do you find that training sessions come out as "Do as I say" sessions? Do you feel legislation or policy seems to bully you into following safety? Do you find that your training sessions don't really work? Do workers find them a waste of time and no one really buys into it? Imagine a world of creating a learning environment so spectacular that workers become passionate and actually enjoy safety. Discover proven instructional techniques that will make your safety training sessions interactive, interesting, fun and more effective. Safety will become something they want to do not because they feel bullied in to it.
Speaker: Tanya Steele (R)CS0, CSS, CHSC

SESSION 2A
Prevention of Violence in the Workplace
Workplace violence can take the form of physical aggression such as hitting, biting or kicking. It also includes verbal threats, swearing, name calling and bullying. Violence is not part of your job and the repercussions for workers can be devastating, affecting their physical and mental health and job satisfaction. For employers, it means reduced productivity and increased losses. This session is intended to assist joint OHS committees to identify potentially violent hazards in the workplace, conduct a risk assessment, and recommend corrective action. Participants will have the opportunity to develop a plan for violence prevention.
Speaker: Sheila Moir, BC Fed Health and Safety Council

SESSION 2B
Components of a Safety Program
Having a Safety Program is a WorkSafeBC requirement, but what is its purpose? Many sit on a shelf or on a company’s intranet system, never referred to. This session will explore the purpose of the Safety Program and how to make it work for you and your organization.
Speaker: Isabel Krueger, CRSP Safety Matters

SESSION 2C
Rejuvenating your Safety Committee
This session is designed to inspire your committee to set aside the coffee and donuts in order to make a difference in safety. The safety committee plays a critical role in reducing accidents and injuries on the job – you are an important part of the team! Gain ideas, directions, motivation and tools for success in improving the effectiveness of your committee meetings and safety on the job.
Speaker: Speaker: Tanya Steele (R)CS0, CSS, CHSC

SESSION 3A
Workplace Safety Inspections
One of the key roles for most safety committees is conducting safety inspections. Are you looking for tips on how to perform this task effectively? Trying to get more participation? Then this is the session for you! Learn how to plan and conduct successful safety inspections, rate hazards, and get advice on implementation. This is a great session for anyone responsible for conducting safety inspections.
Speaker: Isabel Krueger, CRSP, Safety Matters, Burnaby BC.

SESSION 3B
Incident Investigations for the Safety Committee
Updated to reflect the revised OH&S legislation regarding Incident Investigations. Designed to guide you through one of the fundamental elements of safety, this session covers procedures for actions at accident sites, how to interview, how to discover underlying root causes and how to develop effective recommendations to prevent re-occurrence.
Speaker: Tanya Steele (R)CS0, CSS, CHSC

SESSION 3C
My Chair is Plotting to Kill Me
You’ve probably heard that prolonged sitting is a killer. Apparently, it’s more dangerous than smoking; it kills more people than HIV. That’s enough to scare anyone into finding ways to avoid this treacherous activity. But what’s the solution? Standing all day? Throwing a bunch of money into height-adjustable furniture? Come find out what makes sitting so dangerous, and what you can do to reduce risks. Through hands-on demonstrations, our speakers will discuss the pros and cons of sitting versus standing, lessons learned in the implementation of height adjustable workstations, how to set up a workstation to minimize risk factors, and give you user friendly tips to implement changes at your own workplace.
Speaker: Gina Vahlas, B.Sc(Kin), CCPE, CHSC, Ergonomist, Prevention & Occupational Disease Initiatives, WorkSafeBC and Emma Christensen, B.Sc(OT), B.Sc(Kin), Corporate Ergonomics, Safety Health & Wellness, WorkSafeBC

COURSE PC-1: (8:30AM - 4:30 PM)
Joint Health & Safety Committee Training

This program is ideal for new or existing safety committee members looking to refresh or upgrade their safety knowledge and skills. If your organization is setting up its first safety committee or looking to make its existing committee more effective, then this one day course is just what you need.

INCLUDES: Promoting workplace health and safety, applying the process of safety inspections and accident investigations, participating in constructive committee meetings, helping your committee work together, plus much more.

COURSE PC-2: (8:30AM - 4:30 PM)
Supervisors Safety Training

Supervisors are some of the most influential people in preventing workplace injuries and accidents. If they understand their key roles and have the specific skills needed to follow through on that understanding, a safe worksite almost always follows. If they don’t, and worse still, have never been taught how to supervise for safety, then accidents and injuries nearly always follow. This jam packed one-day course guides your supervisors through the fundamentals they need to ensure safety on the job.

INCLUDES: What the regulatory agencies expect of supervisors, understanding risk taking, how to motivate for safety, how to interact with risk taking individuals, key prevention activities for supervisors and much more.